Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain has said that the government has due respect for the opinion of state institutions but the decisions rest with the prime minister.
“Imran Khan is the prime minister of a nuclear state … he and the cabinet take collective decisions,” the minister said speaking during BBC’s ‘Hard Talk’ programme. Responding to a question, he also cautioned the host of the programme not to undermine the elected government of Pakistan as Prime Minister Imran Khan received millions of votes in the last general election. “Prime Minister Imran Khan is the most popular leader in Pakistan as the people, who voted him to power, are still his ardent fans,” he further said. “Even in next general elections, Imran Khan will get the majority votes and be the prime minister for another tenure,” he added.
To a question, Fawad Ch said the media in Pakistan is enjoying immense freedom. “Freedom of expression is a fundamental and democratic right guaranteed by the constitution of Pakistan. Pakistan is one of the freest states as far as media is concerned,” he said. “There are about 43 international channels, including BBC; 112 local private channels; 258 FM channels; and 1,569 print publications, and in the presence of such kind of huge mass media, how could the state be accused of intimidating the media,” he questioned.
Regards stopping a local TV channel from airing a BBC programme, Fawad said the BBC is the most-watched international channel in Pakistan and the government has never obstructed its transmission. The BBC Urdu, he added, will be allowed to telecast its programmes subject to abiding by the local laws.
Responding to a question regarding attack on a journalist, the minister said he immediately took cognizance of the matter. A senior police officer is investigating it and those responsible for the act would be apprehended. He said there is no justification for accusing any institution of attacks without any cogent evidence. “Such individual incidents do happen everywhere in the world … Pakistan is no exception,” he added.
To another query, he said Pakistan has been fighting the scourge of terrorism as a frontline state. “A number of people have lost their lives in the war on terror. This is not something limited to journalists. Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto was also martyred in a terrorist attack. About 70,000 people have been killed in the war against terrorism,” he said. However, the incidents of attacks on journalists, he said, have reduced after the present government assumed responsibilities.
The minister rejected the impression that laws have been passed in Pakistan to curb social media freedom. “Hate speech is a universally recognized fact that has to be curbed, all the states and organizations are duty-bound not to allow hate speeches,” he added.
He said he has huge respect for Google, Facebook, and other technology companies. “I want them to come to Pakistan to open their offices, we want to do business with them, we acknowledge their contribution for the world,” he added.
Sharing the achievements of government, Fawad said at present the country’s growth rate is 3.94 %, despite the Covid-19 crisis. About Rs 1,100 billion, he said, have been shifted from the urban economy to the rural economy. “This year, Pakistan has got four bumper crops,” he said, adding that a record number of tractors have been purchased by the farmers.
He said Pakistan’s response to Covid-19 has been one of the best in the world. He quoted the remarks of United Nations General Assembly President, “Pakistan has been a good example for the world with its pandemic related policies; Pakistan has done better than any other country”. “These words speak volumes of our successful strategy to deal with the Covid-19 situation,” he added. In response to another question, the minister said 5.5 million people have been vaccinated in the country as Pakistan is among the top 34 countries in terms of vaccinating the people. “The way we are going, (we will) achieve the targets of vaccination soon,” he added. He further reiterated that Pakistan is a great success story as far as dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic is concerned. “The partial lockdown strategy worked well and in Pakistan, the situation is far better than any other country in the region.”
